Roger Federer has said he will miss a number of tournaments, including the French Open that begins in May, after undergoing knee surgery in Switzerland on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old had been struggling with injury at the Australian Open, where he made a semi-final exit to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, and has not played since..
In a statement on Twitter, the 20 time Grand Slam champion wrote: "My right knee has been bothering me for a little while. I hoped it would go away but after an examination and discussion with my team, I have decided to have arthroscopic surgery in Switzerland yesterday."
"After the procedure, the doctors confirmed that it was the right thing to have done and are very confident of a full recovery."
"As a result, I will, unfortunately, have to miss Dubai, Indian Wells, Bogota, Miami and the French Open."
"I am grateful for everyone’s support. I can’t wait to be back playing again soon, see you on the grass."
Federer, who won the Roland Garros title in 2009 and exited at the semi-finals in the Australian Open last month, will not be back in action until the grass-court season at the earliest.
